TWI782747B - Thermal profile monitoring wafer and methods of monitoring temperature - Google Patents

Abstract

Thermal monitors comprising a substrate with at least one camera position on a bottom surface thereof, a wireless communication controller and a battery. The camera has a field of view sufficient to produce an image of at least a portion of a wafer support, the image representative of the temperature within the field of view. Methods of using the thermal monitors are also described.

Description

Thermal distribution monitoring wafer and method for monitoring temperature

The present disclosure generally relates to apparatus and methods for measuring and monitoring susceptor temperature. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wafers for thermal profile monitoring and methods of monitoring thermal profile of processing chambers.

Currently, TC wafers are used to measure the temperature of susceptors in processing chambers. The process of measuring temperature can be time consuming, resulting in long lead times to open the chamber, pump-down the chamber to process conditions, and perform the temperature measurement. As throughput demands increase, delays caused by the temperature monitoring process become more of an issue.

There is a need for an apparatus and method for determining susceptor temperature that reduces delays in processing.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a thermal monitor that includes a substrate, a wireless communication controller, and a battery. The substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface. At least one camera is positioned on the bottom surface of the substrate. The at least one camera has a field of view. A battery is connected to the at least one camera and the wireless communication controller. The thermal monitor has an overall thickness sufficient to pass through the slit valve of the processing chamber.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a thermal monitor that includes a substrate, a plurality of high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, a wireless communication controller, a battery, and a microcontroller. The substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface. A plurality of high resolution thermal imaging cameras are positioned on at least the bottom surface of the substrate. Each high-resolution thermal imaging camera produces a color gradient image representing temperature changes. Each high-resolution thermal imaging camera has a field of view, and the fields of view of the high-resolution thermal imaging cameras overlap to provide a complete image. The wireless communication controller is configured to communicate via one or more of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth standards. The battery is connected to a plurality of high-resolution thermal imaging cameras and a wireless communication controller. A microcontroller is connected to the wireless communication controller, camera and battery. The microprocessor is configured to process data received from the plurality of high-resolution thermal imaging cameras and transmit the processed data through the wireless communication controller. The thermal monitor has an overall thickness sufficient to pass through the slit valve of the processing chamber. The plurality of cameras, batteries and wireless communication controller are operable in a temperature range of about 100°C to about 500°C.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of monitoring the temperature of a wafer support in a processing chamber. The method includes positioning a thermal monitor on a plurality of lift pins. A thermal monitor has a base plate with at least one camera, a wireless communication controller, and a battery. At least one camera is positioned on the bottom surface of the substrate and has a field of view. A battery is connected to the at least one camera and the wireless communication controller. A plurality of lift pins support the thermal monitor such that there is a gap between the wafer support and the bottom surface of the thermal monitor. The temperature of the wafer support is measured using at least one camera on the thermal monitor.

Before describing several exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following specification. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide, for example, a mock wafer of aluminum/glass equipped with one or more thermal imaging cameras. Control electronics associated with the thermal imaging camera may also be included on the analog die. Some embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide a temperature measurement device that can be used with standard processing chambers.

Thermally imaged wafers can be loaded into the processing chamber through a transfer chamber (load gate). Some embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide a thermal imaging component to measure the temperature of a support base that can fit in a standard load lock. Thermal imaging wafers can collect thermal image data from susceptors, process stacks, targets and showerheads of various semiconductor processing equipment. Data can be transmitted wirelessly to the control system. Wireless transmission may occur via any suitable technology, including but not limited to Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi. In some embodiments, the thermal imaging wafer is advantageously sized to be contained in a cassette with wafers for processing such that the thermal imaging wafer is positioned in the system with the substrate to be processed, thereby Minimize impact on yield.

1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a thermal monitor 100 . The body of the thermal monitor 100 includes a substrate 110 . As used in this manner, the substrate 110 is a surface or component on which other components, such as a camera, are positioned. Substrate 110 may be made of any suitable material including, but not limited to, silicon, aluminum, quartz, glass, and ceramics. Although a circular substrate 110 is shown in the drawings, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this is only one possible substrate shape and that other shapes are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Substrate 110 includes a top surface 112 , a bottom surface 114 and sidewalls 116 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , thermal monitor 100 is inverted such that bottom surface 114 of substrate 110 is visible. Substrate 110 has a thickness defined as the distance between top surface 112 and bottom surface 114 . If the top surface 112 and the bottom surface 114 are substantially flat and parallel, the thickness of the substrate 110 is substantially the same as the vertical dimension of the sidewall 116 .

At least one camera 120 is positioned on the bottom surface 114 of the substrate 110 . The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has five cameras 120; however, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains will understand that there may be any suitable number of cameras. In some embodiments, a camera 120 is positioned on the bottom surface 114 of the substrate 110 . In some embodiments, there are two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, fifteen, twenty, Twenty-five or more cameras 120 are positioned on the bottom surface 114 or other portion of the substrate 110 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the substrate 110 has a plurality of cameras 120 positioned on the bottom surface 114 , the top surface 112 and the sidewalls 116 of the substrate 110 . In some embodiments, there are more than or equal to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 cameras 120 on the substrate 110 .

Camera 120 may be any suitable camera capable of operating at temperatures greater than about 50°C. In some embodiments, camera 120 includes a high-resolution thermal imaging camera. In some embodiments, camera 120 may acquire visible light, ultraviolet (UV), near infrared (NIR), short wavelength infrared (SWIR), mid wavelength infrared (MWIR), long wavelength infrared (LWIR), or far infrared (FIR). image. In some embodiments, camera 120 is operable to capture images in the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, camera 120 may be operated to capture light at wavelengths in the range of about 8 to about 15 μm. In some embodiments, camera 120 is operable to capture wavelengths in the LWIR and FIR regions of the spectrum, eg, wavelengths in the range of about 8 to about 1000 μm.

Camera 120 may be of any suitable size, depending, for example, on the amount of space available to insert thermal monitor 100 into the processing chamber. The size of the camera 120 may also affect the resolution of the camera. Smaller cameras have less physical space available for imaging components. The term "high resolution" is used to describe a camera having an imaging array greater than or equal to about 3000 pixels in an area of about 100 mm ² . In some embodiments, the camera is a high resolution camera having greater than or equal to about 3500, 4000, or 4500 pixels in an area of about 100 mm ² .

In some embodiments, the thermal sensitivity of camera 120 is less than about 200 mK. The term "thermal sensitivity" as used in this context means that the electronics of the camera 120 are capable of measuring temperature differences as small as 200 milli-Kelvin. In some embodiments, the thermal sensitivity of camera 120 is less than or equal to about 150 mK, 100 mK, 75 mK, or 50 mK.

In some embodiments, camera 120 produces a color gradient image representing temperature changes. For example, a relatively cooler temperature region of a subject may be represented by blue, while a relatively hotter temperature region of the subject may be represented by red, wherein the temperature gradient between the hot and cold regions is represented by the color in the middle. Camera 120 may be capable of producing color images, or may be produced by a separate controller or processor that analyzes image data captured by the camera.

Each camera 120 has a field of view 122 . The fields of view 122 of each camera may be adjusted such that the individual fields of view 122 do not overlap or such that the fields of view 122 overlap. As shown in FIG. 3 , overlapping views 122 may allow for a complete image of wafer support 160 or process chamber by combining (eg, stitching) separate images together to form a single image.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , each camera 120 has a field of view 122 that does not overlap. The cameras 120 are shown with fields of view 122 aligned with each other such that the entire wafer support 160 is viewed by the plurality of cameras 120 . In some embodiments, the fields of view 122 do not overlap and there are gaps between the camera fields of view such that a partial view of the wafer support 160 can be seen.

The field of view 122 of the camera 120 may be substantially the same (eg, the same angle and relative direction) as shown in FIG. 2 . All of the cameras 120 shown have a field of view 122 downwardly toward the wafer support 160 . In some embodiments, each of the plurality of cameras 120 has a different field of view, allowing different directions from the substrate 110 to be monitored. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , some of the cameras 120 have a field of view 122 pointing in a different direction and at a different angle than other cameras 120 . This can be used to form a three-dimensional temperature map of the processing region of the processing chamber.

Thermal monitor 100 includes wireless communication controller 130 . The wireless communication controller 130 can be connected to the camera 120 and the battery 140 through the connecting piece 135 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , connectors 135 may be on the same side of substrate 110 or pass through substrate 110 . The connection sequences shown in the diagrams are representative only and should not be taken as indicating a specific combination and circuit connection.

The wireless communication controller 130 may be any component that can wirelessly transmit data from within the processing chamber. The wireless communication protocol may be any suitable type of communication process. Communication processing may use communication standards such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The thermal monitor 100 also includes a battery 140 for powering the camera 120 and the wireless communication controller 130 . The battery 140 is connected to the camera 120 and the wireless communication controller 130 through the connector 135 . Battery 140 may be any suitable battery capable of providing sufficient power to operate camera 120 and wireless communication controller 130 and any other components on thermal monitor 100 that use power, such as a microcontroller or microprocessor. Suitable batteries include, but are not limited to, cell phone compatible power supplies, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-polymer batteries, and alkaline batteries.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , the thermal monitor 100 further includes a microcontroller 150 connected to the wireless communication controller 130 , the camera 120 and the battery 140 . As used in this manner, "microcontroller" includes both firmware-based microcontrollers and software-based microprocessors. Microcontroller 150 is any component capable of controlling camera 120 and wireless communication controller 130 . The microcontroller 150 of some embodiments is capable of analyzing or processing data received from the camera 120 and transmitting the processed data through the wireless communication controller 130 . In some embodiments, wireless communication controller 130 is an integral component of microcontroller 150 . In some embodiments, microcontroller 150 is configured to process data received from at least one camera 120 and transmit the processed data through wireless communication controller 130 . The microcontroller 150 of some embodiments is powered by the battery 140 . In some embodiments, microcontroller 150 has a power source separate from battery 140 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method of monitoring the temperature of a wafer support 160 in a processing chamber 200 . The processing chamber 200 includes a chamber wall 202 having a bottom wall 203 and side walls 204 . A cover 205 positioned on the chamber wall 202 encloses a processing volume 206 .

A wafer support 160 (also referred to as a substrate support) is positioned within the processing volume 206 of the processing chamber 200 . Wafer support 160 includes a shaft 161 and at least one thermal element 162 . The shaft 161 passes through an opening 163 in the bottom wall 203 of the processing chamber 200 and is connected to a motor 164 . Motor 164 is capable of rotating wafer support 160 and moving wafer support 160 in the z-axis. The bellows 166 forms a vacuum tight seal around the opening 163 in the bottom wall 203 .

The processing chamber may also include a gas distribution assembly 170 , which may be positioned adjacent to the lid 205 as shown, or in other locations within the processing volume 206 . Gas distribution assembly 170 is configured to flow at least one reactive gas or inert gas into processing volume 206 . Gas distribution assembly 170 is generally spaced apart from wafer support 160 .

The thermal monitor 100 is positioned on a plurality of lift pins 180 in the processing chamber 200 . The number of lift pins 180 may be any suitable number understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment of FIG. 4 depicts two lift pins 180; however, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there are typically three or more lift pins 180 to support the thermal monitor 100 or crystal for processing. round.

Thermal monitor 100 is brought into process volume 206 by robot 185 through slit valve 186 . Robot 185 and lift pin 180 may be controlled by controller 220 to coordinate movement of lift pin 180 and robot 185 .

The robot 185 deposits the thermal monitor 100 on the lift pins such that a gap 182 exists between the top surface 168 of the wafer support 160 and the bottom surface 114 of the thermal monitor 100 . Slot 182 may be any suitable size depending on, for example, the length of lift pin 180 and field of view 122 of camera 120 . In some embodiments, the gap is greater than about 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches or 4 inches.

The temperature of the wafer support 160 or the top surface 168 of the wafer support 160 may be measured using the camera 120 of the thermal monitor 100 . In some embodiments, camera 120 produces a color gradient image representing temperature changes across wafer support 160 . Data received from the camera 120 can be directly transmitted via the wireless communication controller 130 to a system outside the processing chamber 200 for further processing. In some embodiments, data received from camera 120 is processed by microcontroller 150 , and the processed data is transmitted via wireless communication controller 130 .

In some embodiments, the processed color gradient image is evaluated to determine the temperature variation of the wafer support 160 . The local temperature of wafer support 160 may be varied based on the processed data to reduce or increase temperature variations in wafer support 160 . For example, the controller 220 may evaluate the data or the microcontroller 150 acts on the data evaluation, and may increase or decrease power to the thermal element 162 in the wafer support 160 . A multi-zone thermal element system in wafer support 160 may allow for precise pinpoint control of temperature and thermal variation.

After measuring the temperature and any data processing, the thermal monitor 100 is removed from the processing volume 206 of the processing chamber 200 . Thermal monitor 100 may be removed by robot 185 through slit valve 186 . In some embodiments, lift pins 180 do not lower thermal monitor 100 to contact wafer support 160 . In other words, the lift pins 180 of some embodiments maintain the distance between the top surface 168 of the wafer support 160 and any components on the thermal monitor 100 .

The thickness of the thermal monitor 100 including all components thereon (eg, battery, communication controller, camera) is small enough to pass through the slit valve 186 . In some embodiments, thermal monitor 100 has an overall thickness of less than or equal to about 1 inch.

Thermal monitor 100 , including any components positioned thereon, such as camera 120 , wireless communication controller 130 , battery 140 , and microcontroller 150 , may operate at temperatures ranging from about 50°C to about 500°C. In some embodiments, thermal monitor 100 and any components thereon may operate at temperatures greater than or equal to about 100°C, 150°C, 200°C, or 250°C.

The process of measuring the temperature distribution of the wafer support can be relatively fast. The entire process (loading the thermal monitor into the processing chamber, measuring the temperature distribution, and removing the thermal monitor) can be completed in less than about one minute. In some embodiments, the entire process occurs within a range of about 5 to about 30 seconds or about 10 to about 20 seconds.

In this specification, reference to "one embodiment," "certain embodiments," "one or more embodiments," or "an embodiment" refers to a particular feature, structure, material, or embodiment described in connection with that embodiment. Features are included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of phrases such as "in one or more embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in one embodiment," or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification do not necessarily Represents the same embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the disclosure. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains that various modifications and changes can be made in the disclosed methods and apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the present disclosure embrace modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended patent applications and their equivalents.

100: thermal monitor 110: Substrate 112: top surface 114: bottom surface 116: side wall 120: camera 122: Vision 130: Wireless communication controller 135: connector 140: battery 150: microcontroller 160: Wafer support 161: axis 162: thermal element 163: opening 164: motor 166: Bellows 168: top surface 170: gas distribution components 180:Lift pin 182: Gap 185: Robot 186: Slit valve 200: processing chamber 202: chamber wall 203: bottom wall 204: side wall 205: cover 206: Processing volume 220: controller

The features of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above and discussed in more detail below, can be understood by reference to the embodiments of the present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is worth noting, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure since the disclosure may allow other equivalent embodiments .

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a thermal monitor according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a thermal monitor according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a thermal monitor according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber with a thermal monitor according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of depositor, date, and number) none

Overseas storage information (please note in order of storage country, organization, date, and number) none

112: top surface

114: bottom surface

116: side wall

120: camera

122: Vision

160: Wafer support

Claims (17)

A thermal monitor comprising: a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; a plurality of cameras positioned on the substrate, each camera configured to obtain a thermal image of a field of view, at least one field of view relative to the substrate at a direction orientation different from at least one other field of view, wherein at least one camera is positioned on the top surface of the substrate and at least one camera is positioned on the bottom surface of the substrate; a wireless communication controller; and a battery connected to the The plurality of cameras and the wireless communication controller, wherein the thermal monitor has a total thickness of less than about 1 inch. The thermal monitor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras includes a high-resolution thermal imaging camera. The thermal monitor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the high-resolution thermal imaging camera generates a color gradient image representing temperature changes. The thermal monitor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fields of view of the plurality of cameras overlap to provide a complete image. The thermal monitor as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication controller is configured to communicate via one of the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth standards or more to communicate. The thermal monitor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras, the battery and the wireless communication controller are operable at temperatures in the range of about 50°C to about 500°C. The thermal monitor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller connected to the wireless communication controller, the plurality of cameras and the battery. The thermal monitor of claim 7, wherein the microcontroller is configured to: analyze or process data received from the plurality of cameras; transmit the processed data through the wireless communication controller; and form a three-dimensional temperature picture. A thermal monitor, comprising: a substrate having a top surface, a side wall, and a bottom surface; a plurality of high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, at least one of which is positioned on the top surface, the side wall, and the bottom surface of the substrate On each of the bottom surfaces, the plurality of cameras are configured to obtain a thermal image of a field of view; a wireless communication controller; a battery connected to the cameras and the wireless communication controller; and a microcontroller connected to to the camera, the wireless communication controller and the battery. The thermal monitor as described in claim 9, wherein the photography The machine produces a color gradient image representing temperature changes. The thermal monitor as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an additional camera on the substrate, each additional camera having a field of view. The thermal monitor of claim 11, wherein the field of view of one of the plurality of cameras overlaps with the field of view of the additional camera to provide a larger image. The thermal monitor of claim 11, wherein the field of view of one of the plurality of cameras is oriented in a different direction relative to the substrate than the field of view of the additional camera. The thermal monitor of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication controller is configured to communicate via one or more of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth standards. The thermal monitor of claim 9, wherein the plurality of cameras, the battery, the wireless communication controller, and the microcontroller are operable at temperatures in the range of about 50°C to about 500°C. The thermal monitor of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller is configured to: analyze or process data received from the plurality of cameras; transmit the processed data through the wireless communication controller; and form a three-dimensional temperature picture. A thermal monitor comprising: a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; a plurality of cameras positioned on the substrate, with at least one camera positioned on the top surface and at least one camera positioned on the bottom surface, each of the cameras generating a high resolution color gradient thermal image representative of temperature changes , each of the cameras has a field of view, the fields of view of the cameras overlap to produce a complete image, wherein at least one field of view is oriented in a different direction relative to the substrate than at least one other field of view; a wireless a communication controller configured to communicate via one or more of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth standards; a battery connected to the plurality of cameras and the wireless communication controller; and a microcontroller connected to the a wireless communication controller, the plurality of cameras, and the battery, the microcontroller configured to analyze or process data received from the plurality of cameras, transmit the processed data through the wireless communication controller, and form a three-dimensional temperature Figure, wherein the thermal monitor has an overall thickness of less than about 1 inch, and the cameras, the battery, and the wireless communication controller are operable at temperatures in the range of about 100°C to about 500°C.

Images